Weiser Complex Fire Information, Payette National ForestContact: 208-549-4232, 8am – 8pm Dailypayettefireinformation@gmail.comSeptember 11, 2013Start Date 8/29/2013Cause lightningAcres 29,456Percent Containment 95%Helicopters 3Engines 4Crews 4TotalPersonnel 141Location: 20 miles west of Midvale, IdahoThe Temporary Flight Restriction that was in effect for the Raft Fire was lifted as of yesterday at 8:00 pm. The three remaining helicopters will be released from the incident at the end of shift today. Raft Fire:Crews make great strides on mop-up efforts and rehabilitation of hand lines along the fire perimeter. Over the next few days additional resources will be released from the fire. Fire Officials are asking all forest visitors to drive slowly and stay alert due to the increase of fire vehicles entering and exiting the Mann Creek drainage.The Hells Canyon Fire:The Hells Canyon Fire is 100 percent contained. Rehabilitation of approximately 2 miles of the remaining dozer line will be completed at the end of shift today.Spring Creek, Kawanis, Justrite and Paradise Campgrounds are open. Reservations at the Spring Creek Campground will be made on a first come, first serve basis for the remainder of the season.An Area Closure of the Payette National Forest remains in effect. A copy of the revised closure order and closure map along with other fire information can be found online on Inciweb at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3718/.The Payette National Forest expects to reduce the closure area beginning at 6:00 am on Saturday, September 14. The closed area will most likely consist of Weiser Ranger District lands within the fire perimeter and Forest Road 011 (Sturgill Creek Road) from Bear Saddle to the West.

Weiser Complex Fire Information, Payette National ForestContact: 208-529-4232, 8am – 8pm Dailypayettefireinformation@gmail.comSeptember 8, 2013Cause lightningAcres 29,456Percent Containment 90%Helicopters 3Engines 4Crews 4TotalPersonnel 200Location: 20 miles west of Midvale, IdahoA transfer of command from the Great Basin Incident Management Team 3 (Whalen) to a Type 3 Incident Management Organization occurred this morning at 6 a.m. The new public information phone number is in effect as of 12:00 pm @ 208-529-4255.

The Temporary Flight Restriction in place to protect the fire’s airspace was reduced last night. It will remain in effect over the Raft Fire. Three remaining helicopters will continue to fly missions to support crews until the fire is declared 100 percent contained. Raft Fire:Mop up was completed yesterday along the north east section of the fire in Cottonwood Canyon, which brought the fire’s containment to 90 percent. The remainder of the heat is in the southeast section of the fire. Crews will spend today and into next week working to put out the last remaining heat in this area. It is in a thick string of timber in very steep terrain. Crews will also mop up, secure and rehabilitate containment line as road conditions permit. As the weather heats up over the weekend, fire behavior may increase and display single tree torching.The Hells Canyon Fire:The Hells Canyon Fire is 100 percent contained. Due to muddy road access, heavy equipment was unable to enter the area to begin rehabbing dozer lines.Spring Creek, Kawanis, Justrite and Paradise Campgrounds are open. Reservations at the Spring Creek Campground will be made on a first come, first serve basis for the remainder of the season.An Area Closure of the Payette National Forest remains in effect. A copy of the revised Closure and Closure Map along with other fire information can be found online on Inciweb at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3718/.

Weiser Complex Fire Information, Payette National ForestContact: 877-701-8201, 8am – 8pm DailySeptember 4, 2013Cause LightningAcres 29,456Percent Containment 70%Helicopters 9Engines 13Crews 17TotalPersonnel 613Location: 20 miles west of Midvale, IdahoRaft Fire:The fire received .1 - .2 of an inch of rain yesterday which gave firefighters a reprieve that allowed them to make significant progress towards containing the fire.While the weather lessened the ability for the fire to be carried in the grass, firefighters will continue to extinguish hotspots still burning in larger Cottonwood trees. The Southeast portion of the fire near the East Fork of Sturgill/Benton Creek and the Northern edge of Cottonwood Creek remain the highest priority for firefighters to enforce handline and mop up interior hot spots.Today, crews will assess the need for a burnout operation intended to reinforce the containment line in Little Bear Saddle area. If the weather is favorable to burn operations, the 100 acre burnout will take place in the evening when cooler weather and lighter winds can assist firefighters. Crews will also install water bars and repair hand lines on the far southern perimeter today.

As containment on the fire increases, additional resources will be released throughout the week.The Hells Canyon Fire:Yesterday, crews completed the rehabilitation work of dozer lines around the fire. Crews expect the fire perimeter to be fully rehabilitated today.Public Meetings:Community meetings will be held Thursday in Cambridge and Weiser to provide an update of the fire. The meeting in Cambridge will be held at the Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall at 4:00p.m. A meeting in Weiser will be held at the Vendome Events Center at 6:30p.m. All are welcome to attend.Area ClosureThe Area Closure of the Payette National Forest remains in effect to protect public and firefighters safety. The closure includes all roads and trails on the National Forest System lands within the Weiser Ranger District, South and West of State Highway 71. Maps and other fire information are online at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3718/.

Cause LightningAcres 25,439Percent Containment 45%Helicopters 7Engines 17Crews 17TotalPersonnel 562Location: 20 miles west of Midvale, IdahoCurrent situation: Hells Canyon Fire: Fire lines around The Hells Canyon fire have held for several operational periods. Patrol and rehabilitation of dozer lines are planned for today’s shift. Full containment of the Hells Canyon Fire is expected by the end of today’s shift.

Raft Fire: Fire growth in the N and NE continues to be driven by southwest winds in topographically aligned canyons. Yesterday the fire moved into Cottonwood Creek drainage. A contingency line has been established along Benton Ridge. Today’s cooler weather will allow crews to construct line more directly against the fire’s edge.

In the SE perimeter a spot fire was stopped with combined efforts of air operations and ground crews by late Sunday evening in the Raft Creek drainage. The north perimeter is holding on Sturgill Creek Road. Hand and dozer line is being constructed to tie in to the east to establish a contiguous fire line.

On the west, the fire has burned to the river and is considered contained along that natural boundary.

Due to dry conditions the potential rate of spread is currently 1 mile per hour in light, flashy fuels. Cooler weather with potential for rain is forecast through Tuesday evening. The reduced temperatures and increased relative humidity will allow crews to work directly in areas of fire growth. Full suppression with minimum acreage are primary objectives for the Weiser Complex.

The fire area is under a Flash Flood Alert through Tuesday evening. A Temporary Flight Restriction and an Area Closure of the Payette National Forest remain in effect. Maps are online at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3718/.

Fire information is available at 877. 701. 8201, 8am to 8 pm.Public Meetings:Community meetings will be held today at Cambridge and Weiser to discuss the fire status. The meeting at Cambridge will be held at the Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall at 4pm. The Weiser meeting will be held at the High School Auditorium at 6:30pm.For more information on the Weiser Complex, visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3718/

Weiser, Idaho – Fire managers are gaining the upper hand on the Hell Canyon Fire, but the Raft Fire is still actively burning in heavy fuels on the Payette National Forest. The Hells Canyon fire is holding at 9,373 acres and is 85% contained. Fire crews are focused today on further containing the fire.The Raft Fire is actively burning in Benton Creek and is at 12,000 acres and 8% contained. “We’re going direct on both of these fires in order to keep them as small as possible,” said Mike Bloomer, Operations Chief for the Great Basin Incident Management Team.The Weiser Ranger District has implemented an Area Closure for the southern part of the District that is threatened by the fire and mandatory evacuations are in effect. Four campgrounds in the Forest have been closed – Spring Creek, Kawanis, Justrite and Paradise Campgrounds. “This was a tough weekend to have fires on the District as Labor Day weekend brings hundreds of people into the Forest,” said District Ranger Greg Lesch, “Added is the fact that hunting season opened and this is a popular hunting area. We are working to reopen the area as soon as possible, but a date has not been set as we need to focus on these fires for now.” Highway 71 from Cambridge to Brownlee Reservoir remains open as does the Mann Reservoir campground.In addition to impacts on campers and hunters, the fire is burning cattle grazing areas. “Another main focus for us is to save as much grazing areas as possible, added Lesch. “We do not want these two fires to grow together and we’re making every effort to keep these fires as small as possible.”Eastern Great Basin Incident Management Team 3 has taken command of the fire with their incident command post located in Weiser. Beginning today, the fires will be referred to, and reported as the Weiser Complex. The fires are burning on private, State, BLM and Forest Service lands and are being managed under joint command.Hunters and campers are advised to monitor the fires, be mindful of the closed area, and to contact the Weiser Ranger District for an update on recreation limitations. Follow the fires on Inciweb at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3718/Members of the public interested in receiving fire information updates are asked to send an e-mail request to payettefireinformation@gmail.com. Follow the Payette National Forest on Twitter at @PayetteForest.

McCall, Idaho – The following is a roll-up of all wildland fire incidents on the Payette National Forest.Weiser ComplexStart Date 8/30/2013Cause LightningAcres 21,000Percent Containment 8%Helicopters 7Engines 17Crews 14Total Personnel 568Location: 20 miles NW of Midvale, Idaho. http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3718/Current Situation: The complex consists of the Hells Canyon Fire (9,373 acres) and the Raft Fire (12,000 acres). Aided by cloud cover and reduced terrain driven winds, the Raft Fire is burning only moderately today, while the Hell Canyon Fire smoldered within the fire perimeter. Community meetings will take place in Cambridge at 4pm at the Fairgrounds and in Weiser at 6:30pm at the high school auditorium.The Forest has four fires currently burning within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The largest of the wilderness fires in the Thunder City Fire currently at 13,299 acres. All of the wilderness fires are being managed for resource benefit and are being monitored by ground or by aircraft.Wilderness FiresFire Name Coxey FireStart Date 8/31/2013Acres 106Location 1 mile west of Mile High Air StripInciweb Linkhttp://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3717/Fire Name: Silver FireStart date: August 13Acres: 1,450Location: 10 miles NW of Big CreekInciweb Link:http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3699/Fire Name: Trail Point FireStart date: August 13Acres 200Location: 7 Miles NE of Chamberlain BasinInciweb Link:http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3699/Fire Name: Thunder CityStart date: July 19Acres: 14,000Location: 4 miles NE of Stibnite Mining DistrictInciweb Link: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3532/Council Ranger District: No existing fires – no new starts within the last 24 hours.New Meadows Ranger District: No existing fires – no new starts within the last 24 hours.McCall Ranger District: No existing fires – no new starts within the last 24 hours.Krassel Ranger District: No new startsJungle FireStart Date August 28 Cause LightningAcres 10Percent Containment 0%Helicopters 0Engines 0Crews 0Total Personnel 0Location:6 miles NE of Lick Creek SummitCurrent Situation: Fire managers have determined that due to previous burns surrounding the fire to the north and east that will limit its ability to grow, coupled with limited available resources and relatively few threatened values in the area, this fire will be placed in a monitor status and reevaluated on a daily basis.Members of the public interested in receiving fire information updates are asked to send an e-mail request to payettefireinformation@gmail.com. Follow the Payette National Forest on Twitter at @PayetteForest.

Weiser, Idaho – Aerial and ground based firefighting resources are continue to attack the Hells Canyon 1 and Raft Fires today. The Hells Canyon Fire is now at 9,362 acres and 20% contained, while the Raft Fire is at 9,000 acres and 0% contained.The Weiser Ranger District has implemented an Area Closure for the southern part of the District that is threatened by the fire and mandatory evacuations are in effect. Four campgrounds in the Forest have been closed – the Spring Creek, Kawanis, Justrite and Paradise Campgrounds. Campers were evacuated yesterday evening, along with several hunting camps within the closure area.In addition to impacts on campers and hunters, the fire is burning cattle grazing areas. “We have 300 firefighters on the fire and are hitting it from the air and the ground,” said Greg Lesch, Weiser District Ranger. “We do not want these two fires to grow together and we’re making every effort to keep these fires as small as possible.” A Type 2 Incident Management team with Mike Whalen as the Incident Commander is in place and will take command of the fire on Sunday. Beginning Sunday, the fires will be referred to as the Weiser Complex. Highway 71 from Cambridge to Brownlee Reservoir remains open as does the Mann Reservoir campground.With the Labor Day weekend here, recreationists that planned to head to the area are advised to monitor the fires, be mindful of the closed area, and to contact the Weiser Ranger District for an update on recreation limitations – 208-549-4200. Follow the fires on Inciweb at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3712/ and http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3711/Members of the public interested in receiving fire information updates are asked to send an e-mail request to payettefireinformation@gmail.com. Follow the Payette National Forest on Twitter at @PayetteForest.

McCall, Idaho – The Hells Canyon 1 Fire is now at 9,362 acres and 20% contained. The Raft Fire is 7,000 acres and 0% contained – at 7:30 this evening all firefighting resources pulled off the Raft Fire due to intense fire behavior.The Weiser Ranger District has implemented an Area Closure for the south part of the District that is threatened by the fire and mandatory evacuations are in effect. Spring Creek Campground, Kawanis Campground, Justrite Campground and Paradise Campground have been closed and campers have been evacuated. Hunting camps have been evacuated as well. Structures, powerlines, cattle and numerous hunting camps are threatened.Please see the attached map for the closure area, resources are continuing to battle the Hells Canyon 1 and the Raft Fires.Members of the public interested in receiving fire information updates are asked to send an e-mail request to payettefireinformation@gmail.com. Follow the Payette National Forest on Twitter at @PayetteForest.

McCall, Idaho – Firefighting resources are continuing to battle the Hells Canyon 1 and the Raft Fires. Both fires are currently actively burning with the Hells Canyon 1 Fire estimated at 8,500 acres and the Raft Fire estimated at 6,000 acres.On the Raft Fire, the Sturgill Peak Lookout has been evacuated and forest visitors in the Sturgill Peak area are being asked to leave the area as the fire is now spotted well into the area of Benton Creek Falls on the Payette National Forest in addition to burning on State, BLM and private lands.The Hells Canyon Fire is now threatening Dennett Creek and pushing toward the Payette National Forest boundary in the area of Iron Mountain. Structure protection is in place at the Mountain Man Lodge and the Mineral Mine site that is located on Dennett Creek.An Area Closure for the southern portion of the Weiser Ranger District is expected to be implemented soon. Under an Area Closure, Forest visitors will be directed to leave the threatened area. Highway 71 from Cambridge to Brownlee Reservoir remains open, but recreationists in the area are advised to remain aware of the fire situation.A Type 2 Incident Management team has been order and the two fires will be combined into the Weiser Complex. The fires are burning within the Snake River corridor along Brownlee Reservoir, 15 miles northwest of Weiser. With the Labor Day weekend upon us, recreationists that planned to head to the area are advised to monitor the fires, be aware of Forest closures and to contact the Weiser Ranger District for an update on recreation limitations – 208-549-4200. Follow the fires on Inciweb at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3712/ and http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3711/Members of the public interested in receiving fire information updates are asked to send an e-mail request to payettefireinformation@gmail.com. Follow the Payette National Forest on Twitter at @PayetteForest.

McCall, Idaho – Firefighting resources continue to battle the Hells Canyon 1 and the Raft Fires. The Hells Canyon 1 Fire is estimated at 2,500 acres, while the Raft Fire is estimated at 1000 acres. The fires are burning within the Snake River corridor along Brownlee Reservoir, 10 miles west of the Mann Creek Guard Station.The Hells Canyon Fire has burned through the Wolf Creek drainage, has reached Sumac Creek and is threatening private structures in the area. The Raft Fire is threatening private structures in Sturgill Creek. Both fires are spreading quickly through light fuels.Firefighting resources include three hand crews, 10 air tankers, 3 heli-tankers, 3 helicopters, 24 smokejumpers and 5 engines. An additional 15 engines and 10 hand crews have been ordered, in addition to a Type 2 Incident Management team to manage both fires. The fires are burning on a combination of State, BLM and private lands that are under the fire protection of the Forest.With the Labor Day weekend approaching, recreationists that plan to head to the area are advised to monitor the fires for potential area closures and make alternate plans as necessary. Follow the fires on Inciweb at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3712/ and http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3711/Additional fire updates will be sent out as more information is received.Members of the public interested in receiving fire information updates are asked to send an e-mail request to payettefireinformation@gmail.com. Follow the Payette National Forest on Twitter at @PayetteForest.

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The Salmon River Mountain Press shares news from federal and state natural resource agencies, environmental, conservation and recreation groups in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The blog delivers the content one news story at a time.